Lies and Truth
by Emerald Moonrose
Summary: Zexion thought that his relationship with Demyx was perfect, until he found a note in Demyx's pocket from somebody else... Akuzeku AU, happy Akuzeku day! Sequel in the works as soon as I get off Hiatus.


Aha! I _have _been writing! And _gah_, this thing took me a month to complete, which is why I haven't really gotten anything else done. As I'm writing this A/N, it is 3:14 at night, and I should be asleep right now. But nope, I used it for this fic. I hope you love me. It the story seems awkward or weird at any time, it's because it was originally a song fic, based off of the song Your Love Is A Lie by Simple Plan. Good song.

That said, I have to broadcast this as well, since I promised I would: QUINN96, AKA TAYLOR IS MY UKE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, that over with, this is dedicated to the lovely Quinn96, for being the most wonderful beta in the world, this is not beta'd, and happy Akuzeku day!!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Simple Plan, or Pantene. I think that's all… Ooh, I don't own Rob Zombie either.

* * *

I wasn't used to being alone. Well, I was, but at the same time I wasn't. Not anymore, at least. When I had started dating, it seemed that my boyfriend had taken up every little bit of my free time. Now, I barely had free time. It was a strange, foreign concept that didn't even _exist _in my mind any more. I didn't complain though. After all, he was the only person I really felt comfortable around, the only person I was able to get close to. He loved being around me the same amount I liked being around him, even more so, actually.

So why wasn't he here?

_"Demyx… Demyx… Demyx… Where are you?" _Those were my first thoughts when I had noticed him gone, and the last thoughts I had before I drifted off to sleep, tired of waiting up for hours past normal. I wasn't like this usually, but he had promised that he would call me if he was late coming home._ We _had made that promise to each other, and in the past year, neither one of us had broken it. But here I was, right next to the telephone, in his favorite cushioned recliner, 2:20 in the morning, and he was supposed to be back at ten, at the latest.

I wasn't asleep for long, though, as I heard the door click. Raising my head blearily, I watched as I saw the dirty blonde mulleted head peek into the room, the deep blue eyes scanning the room. Walking in, he closed the door behind him as silently as he could, then started walking towards the stairs towards our bedroom. He must not have seen me.

I didn't allow him to go any further as I stood up. "Demyx? Where have you been?"

The blonde cringed slightly, then turned to face me, an easygoing grin sliding onto his face. "Zexy! You're still awake! I thought you would be asleep!" He shook his head, taking off his coat and putting it on the rack- something he never did unless he thought he was in trouble.

"Demyx, you're several hours late. I was worried." I stole a quick glance at the clock. 2:29. "It's past two, and you were supposed to be back at ten. What happened?"

Demyx sighed, seeing that I wasn't going to back down, and hung his head. "I'm sorry Zex. Boss man said that I had to get that big project done tonight, and I was so busy that I didn't realize how long it took. By the time I looked at the clock it was midnight. I didn't want to disturb you if you were asleep, and I still had more work to do. I didn't even think that you had been waiting for a call."

He glanced up guiltily at me. "I'm sorry I kept you up. I just wasn't thinking."

I was silent for a few seconds, then sighed. "It's okay, Dem. I just wish that you would call."

Demyx nodded, uncharacteristically serious. "Okay babe. Next time, I promise I'll call." Then he whipped his hair around, and the playful mood was back, with a kind of whiplash effect that only he could pull off. "I'm going to take a shower, okay? It's been a long night." He blew a kiss at me and ran up the stairs before I could respond.

"…Okay Demyx," I murmured.

That's all there was to it. Demyx apologized, promised it wouldn't happen again, and we're both fine. What else could it be? Demyx was my world. Of course he was, after my family disowned me after I announced I was gay and was going out with the blonde. I may have had friends, but Demyx…

Demyx was different.

I started to follow him up the stairs, then stopped as I saw a piece of paper on the ground with Demyx's name on the front. Leaning down, I picked it up and unfolded it, hesitating slightly.

_This is Demyx's private property, I shouldn't be looking at this. It doesn't concern me, and he respects my privacy. I shouldn't invade his-_

I opened it anyways, startled by the calligraphy. Messy, but elegant at the same time.

_Dear Demyx,_

_Thanks for dinner. I really enjoyed talking to you. You're a pretty cool guy, and I would like to do that again instead of what we normally do._

_Call me soon._

_Xigbar_

My eyes widened in shock, and I could feel my heart clenching tightly. Dinner? But he told me he had work… He always told me that, though. This wasn't the first time he'd been home late. No, it was always at least once a week. He had the decency to call each time before, though. I sometimes thought about that prospect, him cheating on me, but he told me that it was work, and he couldn't do something like that to me- or, I thought he couldn't. I believed him because that was what good boyfriends did, right? Demyx wouldn't do that to me.

Right?

Unconsciously, my fist crushed the small scrap of paper, and my mind went over everything in the past month. What had I done wrong? What had I done to make Demyx leave me? There wasn't anything in particular that popped out-

I stopped.

_What had I done to make Demyx leave me?_

A low chuckle devoid of humor left my throat. "I guess that means that you're gone, doesn't it?"

My hand relaxed, and the paper fell onto the ground, crumpled up and forlorn in the middle of the clean hall.

Almost like how my brain was at that moment. Except, without the scatteredness, and I was at the point where I was numb.

Well, until I thought of that kiss he blew to me right before he went upstairs, the kiss he always gives me. Sadness stabbed me as I realized that it meant absolutely nothing. How could it, when the whole time he was lying to me, with someone else?

I walked upstairs, making my way into our room, and could hear Demyx singing, although the shower was shut off. I guess I was downstairs longer than I had meant to be. I undressed and Demyx swept out of the bathroom happily, his hair dripping down his back and dressed in nothing but a towel."Heya Zexy! Just gimme a sec to find my boxers, okay?" With that he went over to the drawers, digging through them almost as if he enjoyed just searching for something simple like that, instead of the older, complex adult things he had to deal with every day.

I sat down on the bed, quiet for a few seconds. "Demyx?"

He turned, still looking so childlike and sweet, even though he was in his twenties. "Yeah Zexy?" He asked, his head tilting to the side.

_Ask him why he lied, ask him about his story, ask him why he is acting so damn nonchalant, like he's not even doing anything wrong-_

I bit my lip. He could hide behind his stories for a little while longer, if it made him happy. "Never mind, Dem."

I just couldn't break that face. He was so damn happy, despite lying to me, despite living with me even though I wasn't what he was looking for. Which, I thought this whole predicament to be ironically funny. I had looked down on people who reacted how I just did, heartbroken at the thought of losing their loved one, when they should just move on.

Ironic that the only time I realized why it hurt so bad was when it was happening to me.

From then on, I just knew; even though he had strung me along, nothing would be the same. I wasn't going to play the fool. Not anymore.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since then. Demyx had been late more and more often, coming home rumpled but satisfied- and smelling like someone else. I had finally gotten up my nerve and asked him about the note, if he was cheating on me. He just laughed, in that musical, _Demyx_ way of his and said,_ "Silly Zexy, there's nobody else. Don't worry."_

Sometimes I wish that I could take that as there's no one else besides us, not as I knew it was; there was no one else besides us that I didn't know about.

I sighed, picking up the phone. Unlike him, the first time I caught him, I was going to keep our promise. _Call whenever you think you're going to be late. _It was only 6:08, but my boss had already told me to finish programming all the computers in the corporate so they could be hooked up with instant IM, just in case, and that took a while to do, especially when I was the only one capable of doing it. It was kinda my own fault anyways, as no one else showed their capabilities while I just got work done, but so long as I got the bonus that no one else did, I couldn't bring myself to be bothered about it.

I dialed our number into my cellphone quickly, knowing that he should be at home while I was at work. _Ring, ring, ring-_

"Heya Zexy!" Demyx's voice erupted in my ears cheerily. I took note of how it sounded breathy, like he had been doing something exerting-

I stopped myself before I could get any further. "Demyx, I just wanted to tell you that I have to stay late tonight at work, I'm doing some major programming-" There was a thump on the other side of the line, and I could hear someone cursing rapidly. Someone that wasn't Demyx. "Demyx, what was that?"

"N-nothing! I just tripped and stubbed my toe! See? Ow, it hurts!" Despite myself, I chuckled dryly. Demyx's voice was filled with panic, not pain.

"Demyx, has anyone told you you are a terrible liar?" I asked the blonde over the phone, swiveling around in my chair once before standing up, walking over to the balcony that I was lucky enough to have next to my office.

Demyx was silent for a few seconds. "… Yeah," he admitted, all traces of perkiness gone from his words. This time, all there was was resignation and what I hoped to be sadness.

I sighed, pausing for a little bit myself. "…Just wash the sheets when you're done."

"Zexy-"

_Click.

* * *

_

I walked home by myself that night.

Demyx always came to my work to pick me up, just to spend time with me. Even when he was cheating on me he did that, sometimes even dragging me into a coffee shop and treating me to a decaf- his money, not mine. Even when he didn't, he always found some way to make walking home so much more enjoyable. Our house was only twenty minutes away, which is why we walked, not drove.

_"Remember Zexy, we may not always be here, but the environment will be, so we gotta treat it with love, cherish it, or else when we grow up and disappear, it will too."_

Demyx was always spurting out random deep pieces of thought like that. Somehow, it always made me feel better, as if it was knowing that Demyx wasn't shallow, he had thoughts just like the rest of us. His were just more profound, harder to see unless he wanted to share them with you.

I shook out of my thoughts when a drop of water hit me directly on the nose. Looking up, I realized that I had stopped walking completely, instead just standing there, probably looking lost and forlorn instead of a respectable business man.

Muttering a curse, I made my way to an overhang, squandering the time while the rain faded- which, it didn't look like it would for a while. Fat drop after drop cascaded from the sky, hitting the ground like hands on a drum.

That was another thing; Demyx always loved the rain.

"Hey man, you okay?" I looked up, searching for whoever was talking to me, then noticed that I had sagged against the wall. Debating on whether I should care _get up or sit down_, I nearly ignored the voice again. "You know, it's only polite to respond. It'd be doing a favor to everyone." It drawled sarcastically. I pinpointed it to a redheaded male, probably about six feet tall and wearing a black cloak. It was still dark outside, but I could still see the sardonic expression on his face, especially in those glowing green eyes.

"My boyfriend of over a year is cheating on me in my own house," I snapped. I had determined that standing up would be the best idea, although I was in no position to just walk away, with no umbrella and the rain pounding harder than before. "Excuse me if I'm a little exhausted as of late."

He opened his mouth to respond, but I had had enough. Pushing my way out of all the people who had gathered to avoid the rain, I made it out to the rain before I heard him again. "Hey!" A thin hand grasped mine, and I jerked my arm.

"Let go of me!" I shouted, slight panic racing through me. If he was a pervert, or a rapist-

He let go.

I stood there, stunned for a few seconds, and he used that time to thrust a dark blue umbrella into my hands. "You'll get a cold if you're not going to wait for the rain to go away," He drawled softly, almost as if he actually cared about the well-being of a stranger. "Don't bother returning it."

With that, he allowed himself to be swept back into the crowds, starting to fade from sight. "W-wait!" I finally got my vocal cords working. "Hey, I said wait!" The stranger gave a two-finger salute, his back to me as I almost heard him chuckle. With that, he disappeared completely.

I glanced down at the umbrella in my hands, debating what to do. It belonged to him, but he gave it to me, and didn't want it returned, so rightfully, it was mine now, right?

"… Okay." I opened the umbrella up and walked away, away from the intriguing redhead. The whole way home, even as I made it inside, I couldn't help but think of him.

* * *

The next day, I stood at the same spot, blue umbrella in hand.

I know he told me not to bother returning it, but that wasn't who I was. It wasn't like I was doing it purely out of the goodness of my heart. I just didn't want it to stand on my conscience. Besides, it was on my way home from work. I hadn't even meant to stop there. It was just… for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to move. What was the point? I didn't even have Demyx waiting for me at home; he was 'working' late again.

_"Zex?" I glanced over at the blonde, the both of us still getting ready for work. Demyx had been almost avoiding me since the whole incident on the phone, and was looking at me sheepishly. "I'm working late again. That okay with you?"_

_I looked back to my briefcase, making sure I wasn't missing anything. "Xigbar again?" I mentioned nonchalantly, taking a file I had forgotten to put in and placing it behind my laptop. I could practically _hear _Demyx cringe._

_"…Y-yeah…" The pure innocence, the naivety in his tone _killed_ me. It was then I saw that Demyx didn't think that what he did was wrong; it was just what he did. Sweet, pure, softhearted Demyx. It _killed _me because while he sounded so innocent, the guilt in his voice gave him away. He knew it too._

_"…Okay. Be safe, okay?" Looking back at him, his wide, blue eyes, and adorable face, he nodded, smiling softly._

_"You too. Promise?" I laughed quietly, remembering when we first met._

_"I only promise if you do, and we know how that works," I recited perfectly, unable to keep my lip from sliding up. "You have to mean it."_

_"And I do. A promise is a promise, never to break, never to lie around." I wasn't the only one who could still think back to every moment of that day; poetry day, when I had first asked him out. I had thought the whole idea was stupid, but Demyx absolutely loved it. In order to make him happy, keep that grin on his face, I obliged, and god, the sheer happiness on his face was completely worth it._

_"Crystal and precious, with such things rarely ever found." Demyx almost looked as if he was having troubles remembering, but I knew he didn't._

_"Trust you, with the hope we never fade."_

_"Trust you, to our very last days," I echoed. That line suddenly felt hollow, but at the same time truthful. Despite everything, it was true. I did still trust him. It didn't matter that he was with someone else, trying to keep it hidden, he never truly lied to me. No matter how obscene it was in my mind, I couldn't blame him._

_"Promise."_

"Hey." I tilted my head backward, not turning entirely, but just enough for him to know that I acknowledged his being behind me. "I told you you didn't have to return it."

"I had nothing better to do," I said simply, holding the item over my shoulder. He took it slowly, as if he didn't want it back. "My boyfriend is off screwing someone again, and I figured that I might as well waste some time and give it back, if only to clear my conscience."

He chuckled, taking it fully. "You don't seem to be too broken up about it."

I shrugged, ready to go on. "What can I say? I understand him better than he understands himself."

This time, I was the one who walked away, back to my house, without another word from either of us.

* * *

A whole week passed since I saw him. Demyx and I had gone back to our normal thing, him picking me up, taking me places and just _laughing, _while I glanced on from the back and smiled. I think he felt guilty for everything, and was trying to make it up to me.

I didn't care, not really. He was still with me, right? That meant that everything wasn't truly a lie. He never said he was sorry; he knew not to waste his breath on it. You can't just say 'sorry' to everything. There were consequences, and he was smart enough to know he had to live with them. Besides, there was no harm to keeping him with me, just for a little bit longer.

At the back of my head, though, I knew that soon, I would have to let him go. As it turned out, that day was today.

I was walking home by myself for the first time that week. I had called Demyx and told him that I was staying late again, to finish a project that Xemnas, my boss had put me on earlier this week. However, when I tried to work on it later on, Xemnas came into my office. Now, nothing against him, but Xemnas looked kind of creepy, with long white hair and neon orange eyes. Not to mention a voice so deep it would put a whale to shame.

_"Zexion, you've been overworking yourself. Take some time off to yourself. The project isn't due until the next week, and you're not needed tonight."_

As it was, when Xemnas talks, you listen, and I was out of there in a few seconds, bidding my boss goodbye and walking out on the streets alone. It was my normal time to get off, just around nine at night, but lately it was darker around that time, giving the whole neighborhood a much more ominous feeling to it.

I held the phone in my hand, number already dialed out, finger hesitating over the dial button. If I asked Demyx to come get me, that meant I would have to wait outside the office for him to get ready, and it would be quicker just for me to walk. There was no real point in telling him that I wasn't going to be late; I didn't even know whether he was at home right now.

Snapping the phone shut, I made my way out. Of course, the sky was overcast, not yet raining, but so close to it that if I didn't get home in less than half an hour, it would be pouring on my head. As it was, if there had been any source of light in the night sky, it was completely covered by the clouds now.

About halfway home, I glanced up as a small droplet fell on my cheek, the rain already starting. "Great," I muttered to myself, looking back down at the ground. "Just what I needed-"

I gasped as someone grabbed my wrist, practically tossing me into an alley on my right. "Wha-" A hand covered my mouth as I tried to free my wrist, my free hand slapping whoever grabbed me mercilessly. That stopped the second that I heard a clear _chink _and felt something pressed against my head, and he used the lack of movement to pull me up to his chest, thus making me unable to move pretty much at all. Not to mention he was taller, (who isn't taller than me?) so he was practically holding me up on his own.

"If you want to live, I would suggest you give me your money," The voice was quiet, refined and smooth, with British accent.

He let his hand off of my mouth and I took the chance to get in a few words. "Oh yeah, way to kill the stereotype. Didn't you get the memo? Bad guys have a deep, dark voice, not a British one that you could practically hear saying 'oh, would you like some tea?'. Nice way to fuck up, moron."

To my surprise, instead of just whacking me over the head, he laughed. "Ah, I love robbing the ones with spirit. Come on now, you have a briefcase, I'm positive you have at something worth at least a little bit of money."

I glared, holding my briefcase tighter. "And if I don't give it to you?" I jumped in shock as the gun left my head and a bang went through the alleyway, the bullet burying itself directly next to my foot. "Oh, nice going Ace," I commented sarcastically, panic making me blather whatever came to mind. "Now that the whole neighborhood knows that you have a gun, someone could just call the police on you and-" I stopped for a second. "Why aren't I calling the police?"

"Because I have a gun in my hand, and you're not stupid."

"Ah, that sounds about right. Where were we?" My captor sighed, obviously exasperated.

"I was in the middle of mugging you, and I am currently wondering why I don't just kill you or knock you unconscious."

I rolled my eyes, not caring that it would be impossible for him to see. "Because I have a lock on my case that only I know, and I made it myself, so no one else can unlock it except for me."

He was quiet for a few seconds. "What, were you planning to be mugged? It works quite well."

I shook my head, ignoring the gun. If he had wanted to shoot me, he would just be done with it by now. "No, I can't exactly say that being mugged was in the plan, although I could have accidentally thought of that when I was making it. You never know. How would that be for irony?"

He chuckled, amused. "No, that would just be luck, good for thinking of it, bad for being mugged. That's why I'm always on Lady Luck's good side, as you can see in this situation. If nobody has come for you yet, it's not likely-"

He cut off with a grunt as he fell to the ground, the gun sliding several feet away from him. With him not supporting me, my legs collapsed as well, and I landed directly next to him, my legs practically jello. A few feet away, I heard heavy boots clunking over to where the gun was, and I was almost afraid that I had been saved from one thief, only to be mugged by another.

"Guess you can't stay out of trouble for more than a week, huh Wallflower?" My head shot up at that voice, landing directly on the cat's smirk dancing across his thin lips. I saw exactly what I had been expecting to after hearing him speak; tall, flaming red hair, and eyes so green they looked like they were glowing.

He let loose a sigh as he realized that I wasn't responding. "Hey, are you okay? I thought I got to you before he did anything, but if I didn't…" His eyebrows creased in concern. "Can you stand?"

I stared for a few more seconds, then nodded, pushing myself up and leaning against the wall for support. He glanced at me for a few moments longer, then spoke again, speaking slow as if I was dumb. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

Finally my mind unfogged, and I shook my head, standing up on my own now. "No… I'm fine. Thanks for your help though." He nodded briskly but stayed where he was.

"You sure? You barely look like you can walk a few feet, let alone down a few blocks."

"I'm fine," I said tersely, picking up the dropped briefcase. "Thanks again." With that, I left, just like I did the last time, without another word. This time, I could hear a small chuckle from him before he walked the other way, back the way he came.

After what seemed like an eternity, I made it to my front door, walking up the steps and opening the knob. When I swung it into the house, I was faced with Demyx and a man I didn't know with long black and silver hair- presumably Xigbar, judging on the position I saw them in. Demyx was pinned up against the wall by the other man, both shirts off and Demyx's pants halfway there. I took slight pleasure in the fact that both completely stopped what they were doing, frozen, as they just stared at me.

Demyx was the first to talk. "Zexy-"

"It's time I let you go," I said softly, setting down my briefcase inside.

_Click._

Numbly I set walked down the steps once more, not even glancing back as I wandered blindly around the city, not really recognizing where I was going, but knowing each place. I passed the park by immediately; I didn't need reminders of what Demyx and I always did. Our normal coffeeshop was out of the question as well, for the same reason. As if to mock me, rain started falling, heavy, wet drops that soaked completely through my clothes.

Then I found the underhang, the same one that I had found- oh god, how long ago was it? I couldn't remember- I was surprised that I could still even think now. I couldn't turn aside a place to sit in my state of mind, especially since the rain was falling so hard. I plopped down on the bench, exhausted.

"Well, if it isn't Lilac. I thought you didn't need help getting home." For the second time that night that voice teased me, bending over above me so he could look me in the eye.

"Lilac? I thought I was Wallflower," I muttered, looking aside irritably. I didn't want to deal with him. Not now.

Even out of the corner of my eye I could see him shrug. "It was that or Emo Kid." At my sudden death glare he held his hands up in surrender, looking surprisingly guilty. "What? It was because of your hair. Lilac isn't so bad, now is it?"

I pointedly ignored him, done with all the personal humiliations. Then I remembered that he saved me from being mugged, possibly killed. It probably wouldn't hurt to show a bit of cordialness. "What do you want?" I asked, glancing back up at him through my bangs. He seemed surprised to see that I was actually talking to him.

"Well, you said that you were going home. I was kind of wondering why you weren't there." His eyes narrowed when he saw my hands, suddenly noticing something. "Did you get mugged again on the way home? Where's your stuff?" Then, the concern was gone, and the teasing tone was back. "Did you lose it?"

I sighed, all compassion lost. "For your information, I just walked in on my now ex-boyfriend being screwed into the wall at my house, and dropped my stuff off. Excuse me if I don't want to deal with anyone right now." I leveled him with a calm look. "Especially not people like you, who are probably just going to laugh. I just lost someone I was pretty damn positive I loved. I don't need your taunts right now."

The mocking look faded and gave way to sympathy. "… Come with me." I had no chance to reply as he suddenly took my hand and dragged me away into the rain. Letting out a whimper of protest, I tried valiantly to shield my hair and head with my hand from the droplets plummeting down from the sky, failing miserably. The man didn't even bother with that, instead quickening his pace, leading me like a ragdoll across town.

Finally, he pulled to a stop in front of a coffeeshop that I had never been in before, only glanced at. The name, _Flames of Destiny_, warded me away, sounding so incredibly corny that I couldn't bring myself to go inside.

Even still, when he held open the door with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes proclaiming, "Ladies first", I rolled my eyes and entered, immediately being greeted by a warm gust of air, and the normal homey feel every coffeeshop should have. Wistfully, I reconsidered my original thoughts of the place as the redhead behind me took my arm once more and led me to a booth, sliding in on one side and indicating for me to go in the other.

I hesitated. I had nothing to go by with this man, had no clue who he was. For all I knew, he was the same as that man who had just tried to mug me- except that he just saved me from being mugged._ God,_ my mind was messed up. If I was going to be smart, I should just walk out right now, never look at him again. But the smell of that warm coffee was so inviting…

"You're not seriously going to say no to a free cup of the best coffee you'll ever taste are you?" My eyes flickered to the redhead, noticing the tattoos underneath each eye. Inverted triangles.

When I failed to respond he sighed, leaning back in the chair once more. "Your loss. This place has the best chai latte that you will ever have, and that rain doesn't look too forgiving at the moment." I didn't even have to glance outside to figure out what I was going to do as I sat down in the booth, placing my elbows on the table and lacing my fingers so I could set my chin on them.

He looked pleased. "See, that's the spirit-" he was interrupted when another redhead, this one a girl came over to the table, dressed as a waitress. Her nametag blared out the name 'Kairi', which I guess fit her. She did seem like a Kairi, after all.

"Axel! I was wondering when you would come by." The girl's indigo eyes shone with happiness, and Axel laughed, waving a hand in my direction.

"Of course Kai, I just had to save the stray." I glowered at him, bitterly hating the term he bestowed on me, when Kairi looked over to me and gasped, her petite hand covering her mouth in surprise.

"Oh! You're soaked, both of you! Axel, you're horrible! The poor boy's probably freezing! What do you want, honey?" She directed the last comment to me, and I shook my head. Honestly, I had no clue what I wanted. Just something decaf, and warm.

"Give him the chai latte, decaf, and I'll have the same." Axel spoke for me, something that I was, for once, grateful for.

Kairi nodded, not even bothering to write it down. "Of course! It'll be over in a minute." With that she was off, walking into the backroom.

We were silent for a while after that, Axel glancing around the cafe as if remembering something, while I just stared out the window, trying my best not to think of Demyx, and how if he were here with me he would be dancing in the rain, taking me with him, laughing joyfully, just helping me let loose. That was something Demyx had always tried his best with. I was uptight and followed the rules. He was loose like the wind, uncontrollable as the ocean. He was the only person that I could actually let go with, and I loved that.

"Here you boys go." I was returned back to reality as Kairi brought over our drinks, the aroma absolutely heavenly as she set one down in front of each of us. I offered a thanks as I took a tentative sip of it, sighing in pure bliss as the taste washed over my palette, instantly taking away whatever chill I had previously.

"Thanks Kai." Axel was equally grateful, but he didn't take a sip of it yet. "Hey, how's Sora doing?" I paid attention as I heard the difference in Axel's voice. For the first time the teasing lighthearted tone was gone. Instead, the slightest bit of melancholy could be heard, something I had never thought he was capable of.

Kairi's cheerful face fell and she bit her lip, glancing away. "… He's still not taking it well." She admitted. Her voice had changed too, this one full of grief. "He's still having nightmares about it, wakes up sobbing. This recent news only makes it worse." She paused, then looked back up at him. "What about you? I know that you can't be doing that well either, since you two were almost as close as Sora was to him and…"

Axel shook his head, forcing a grin on his face. "I'm fine Kai, you know that. Now go on, you have other customers. I'll be here later, okay?" He took in her depressed expression once more and laughed, giving her a small hug. "Come on sweetheart, you've got better things to do than mope. Roxas wouldn't want to see any of us sad. You know that."

Finally Kairi offered a shaky smile. "Of course. Thanks Axel. I'll tell Sora you said hello, okay?" Axel nodded and she left, off to get other people's orders.

Axel watched her leave, then sighed, stirring his chai latte but not drinking it. "… Roxas named this cafe after me," He finally said, giving some insight to what he was thinking. "It was something we made up when we were kids. He was the Key of Destiny, and I was the Flurry of Dancing Flames. It was just something for fun, but we never dropped it.

"When Roxas decided he wanted to own a cafe, I helped him buy it. We were best friends, throughout everything. So, he named it after the two of us, declaring that we'd never be apart. It was sort of a romantic way, but at the same time it was just while we found our 'Other'." He laughed again, some sense of humor back. "I always knew that he already had his Other, after all, he and Naminé were made for each other. He just did it for me, because I hadn't found mine." Another chuckle, but this one was full of bittersweet sadness. "He never got to tell her though."

My eyes widened, and he shook his head. "He was in a car accident, got the worst of it. His brother Sora was in the passenger's seat, and Roxas ended up getting the brunt of the hit because he shot out of his seat to protect Sora." He scoffed, whether in scorn or humor I didn't really know. "That was Roxas all right. Always had to be the fuckin' hero, no matter what happened to him. He just couldn't let Sora get hit."

He stopped, taking a sip of his chai. "…Did he die?" I asked softly, wanting to know but hating that I had to ask in such a way.

Thankfully he shook his head again. "No. He's been in a coma for six weeks though. We've just been waiting for him to get up, tell us that he's fine, chastise us for acting so mopey without him. Today, though, the doctors said-" he cut off, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat, then tried again. "Doctors said it's possible he might never wake up."

A cloud of grief hit me, even though I didn't know him. That was almost worst than actually dying. "I'm so sorry…" I murmured. I didn't know why, but something made me place my hand on his, rub my thumb soothingly against the almost soft skin. It was warm, way warmer than normal, and despite myself, I couldn't help myself from reveling in the heat. Demyx's hand was always cool, room temperature. I didn't know hands could be this warm. He glanced at me, then bit his lip.

"There's a reason for me telling you this, other than just wanting to talk to someone. I mean, I could talk to Sora, Kairi, or Riku, but it wouldn't be the same. What I mean is…" His other hand ran through his hair in what I would almost call a nervous manner, but even though I've only seen him three times, I knew that Axel was almost never nervous. "A lot worse things can happen than losing your boyfriend to another guy. Yeah, that sucks, but when you lose them like this…" He sighed, pulling his hand away. "It's worse. A lot worse."

I nodded slowly, missing the warmth his hand gave mine. "I understand," I remarked, taking a quick sip of chai. "And I know. It may have been the worst way for it to happen, but I had to let him go sometime. Besides, he's happy. That's what matters, right?"

A small smirk appeared on his face, suddenly dispersing the mood. "Yeah, it is." Then he frowned, glancing at me once more. "Shit, the whole incident happened at your house, didn't it?"

I grimaced, thinking of it again. "Yeah, what about-" I stopped, thinking about what that meant. I had never gotten into a fight with Demyx before, so neither of us had had to come home and make it up to the other, or find another place to sleep. Find another place to sleep… "I can't go back tonight," I muttered. Digging into my pants, checking for my wallet desperately, I realized that I left it in my briefcase, which, in my ever-so-valiant attempt to have a calm, cool and badass exit, I left at home, along with my dignity. Groaning, I let my head hit the table, thinking of what to do.

"Hey, Lilac, you okay?" I laughed, but more because of a pathetic 'oh shit what do I do' way, not a 'yeah, I'm fine' way. "Okay, that's a no. What brought this on, Lilac?" I groaned again, shifting my head to the side, not wanting to respond, but knowing that I had to. God, why did I let him take me to the cafe?

"I don't have any money to pay you back for the latte…" I mumbled, not moving my head at all to look at him. Worse comes to worst, I could pay him back double, with interest. I would do it too. I hate owing people. Besides, who would pay for a random stranger's drink-

"Don't worry, I've got it." I stared up at him incredulously, my hair tilting to the other side from the angle I was at. His eyes widened. "Hey, you _do _have two eyes. I was kind of wondering, from how you hair always covered it."

"Of course I have two eyes. What did you think I was, a cyclops?" He muttered something about that being the worst analogy possible, but I ignored it. "And what's the catch?"

His eyebrow raised almost derisively. "Catch?" He asked in that lazy 'I know all' tone, something that almost annoyed me, but at the same time didn't. "There is no catch. Aren't I allowed to be nice to a friend in need?"

My lip twitched in amusement, despite the situation. "I've only seen you three times, and this is the first time we actually talked. We're friends now?"

"Of course." I was surprised by the fluid conviction in his voice. "I know you, you know me, we're friends now. Besides," He added, scrutinizing me slightly, "I'm not about to toss you into the cold because of something that wasn't even your fault."

I opened my mouth then closed it, unable to say anything. "Wait, what?"

He rolled those green orbs of his, exasperated. "Come on, I'm not dumb, and I never took you to be either. Obviously, if you're unable to pay for something like a small latte, which I was going to pay for in the first place, then I'm pretty damn sure you don't have enough money to pay for the shittiest of hotels." I flushed at the crude honestly, and he took that as a yes, smirking. "You can stay with me tonight. I promise I don't bite, and, despite the appearance, it's not too small. I'm sure you're used to high-notch stuff, but at least you don't have to sleep in the cold tonight."

I mulled it over, thinking. "Bank's closed… ATM's never work, and last time I tried I got mugged, so that's out of the question…"

"You have a habit of getting mugged?" My response was practically written on my face.

"Oh fuck you."

A cat's smirk. "Gladly." He laughed as I froze, completely unaccustomed to the stark obscenity of anyone speaking like that. "Just kidding. Don't worry, you're safe at my house. I promise, no naughty stuff from me."

What was there to say? There was no real reason for him to be doing this, and yet he was. "…Thank you. I'll pay you back someday." That was the only reason my pride allowed me to take his offer; I knew that I could pay him back without a problem, whatever he needed.

However, he just scoffed at the idea, sending me a smirk. "Whatever lets you sleep at night, Wallflower." Before I could respond he drained the last of his chai and stood up, taking the cup with him and motioning to my mostly empty mug as well. "Better finish that up soon. I'm heading out in a few minutes, and you need me if you're going to be coming with me to my apartment." With that he was off, motioning Kairi over to the register to pay.

I rolled my eyes at his confident arrogance, sipping at the last drops of the wonderful chai. _Mental note to self; go to Flames of Destiny more often and get their chai latte._ I had to admit, for such a corny name they made amazing drinks. Finishing off the drink, I got up and joined Axel at the counter, walking slowly so that I could back off if I was interrupting something important.

"…Don't worry Kai. It's not like he can hurt me," Axel was saying, sounding like he was reassuring the girl. She let out a snort of disbelief.

"It's not you I'm worried about."

Axel laughed gleefully. "Don't worry, I promised him that I wouldn't do anything. Right Lilac?" I jumped slightly at being referred to, then rolled my eyes."

"First it's Wallflower, then it's Lilac? Sometimes I'm afraid that I'll get multi-personality disorder," I drawled, leaning on the counter. Kairi gave me one look.

"Never mind. I take back what I said. He'll be fine." Kairi smiled and handed over another two cups, both steaming even through the lid. "This one's one the house. Have a good night boys." With that she disappeared into the back room once more, waving over her shoulder. Axel nodded and grabbed both the cups, handing one to me.

"Well, Lilac," He said, shifting his coat once more. "Time to get home."

* * *

The walk to his house was completely silent, save for the the taps of our feet hitting the pavement and us taking quick sips of our coffee. Luckily, it had stopped raining and my clothes were beginning to dry off, something I had forgotten about while I was in Flames of Destiny. Every time I started to open my mouth, I closed it just as quickly. With as awkward as I was with talking, and not to mention with my luck I'd end up getting kicked out even before I made it inside the house.

Finally Axel pulled me to a stop in front of a house that looked almost like mine, except it was in the middle of nowhere. Well, not really. I just hadn't been to this part of the city before.

"Home, sweet home," Axel murmured, pausing for a second before he started up the stairs leaving me to follow him. I hesitated again, then made my way inside the house, not wanting to be left out. Once inside the house, I couldn't stop myself from inhaling. The smell was _wonderful_. It wasn't harsh, but it had that musty book smell almost, with a slight tinge of cinnamon and smoke interlacing throughout it. It was almost like my dream smell, especially when I was so used to the liquid, clean smell that Demyx always had.

I winced, remembering it all over again. _Demyx…_

"Come on Lilac, let's get you set up with the bed, okay?" Axel popped out from a different room, beckoning me to follow him.

"I'm not taking your bed," I told him firmly, making him roll his eyes.

"Don't make this any more cliché than you have to, okay Lilac? You're taking the bed, I'm taking the floor, that's final." His eyes dared me to argue, and I relented, not exactly thrilled, but what else was I supposed to do? I didn't want to be thrown out on the pretense that I was a bother. Sighing, I walked behind him, noting the smugness in his eyes before he turned around, leading me to the bedroom.

"I still don't get why you're being so nice to me…" I muttered, not expecting him to hear. I nearly grimaced as his head perked to the side, a clear sign that he did.

"Come again?" He asked, mocking confusion lacing his words. "I thought we already went over this Lilac. You need a place to stay, and I'm not sending you back to your house when you still might go into shock. It's pretty simple, even for someone like you." My lip curled back in derision at the implied insult, but I didn't let the retort loose.

"You don't even know my name, it's kind of hard to understand-"

"So what is it?" He turned around, leveling a look at me that I didn't know how to describe.

"Excuse me?"

"What. Is. Your name?" He repeated, giving me that same look. I paused, giving up my first question.

"It's Zexion." He nodded slowly, the look going away and being replaced with a small smirk.

"Zexion, huh? Well, it's nice to meet you, _Zex-i-on."_ Somehow I was already beginning to regret this.

* * *

As it turned out, Axel was actually really, really nice when he tried to be. When he led me to his bedroom, he mentioned that he could change the sheets for me if I wanted, which I declined, and he even gave me pajamas to wear.

_"I'm not about to have you sleep half-naked in my bed unless I make you that way!"_

Okay, so I forced him to give me pajamas. They were insanely huge, with the shirt featuring some Rob Zombie person and the pants needing to be rolled up several times to make it so that I could walk, but they were comfy, so who cared?

The only problem? I couldn't get my mind off of Demyx.

It seemed that the shock had set in right as soon as I finally had a moment to myself to think. I was sitting on the bed while Axel was taking a shower, just… thinking. Remembering, I guess. I didn't remember the last time I had to do anything without Demyx right beside me. He was practically my angel, my protector. And now, sitting in a room that I had never seen before, dressed in clothes that didn't even belong to me because I couldn't come home, the reality set in; my angel, my perfect sweet angel had betrayed me.

"Zexion?" I turned towards Axel, who had just walked in the door that I didn't even notice opening. His eyes widened in concern as they flickered over my face, seeing something. "Are you okay?" I nodded slowly, looking down, and Axel cursed, making his way over to the bed. He wrapped his spindly arms around me and I stiffened in surprise, then relaxed as I leaned into his touch, burying my face into his shoulder, trying my best to soak up the sobs that were begging to come out.

"Thank you…" I whispered into his chest, not even caring about dignity anymore. He just tightened his grip slightly and leaned his chin on my head, which was placed in the perfect place for that.

We sat like that for several minutes, me trying my best to stop crying, and him rocking me back and forth, murmuring comforts into my ear that I didn't even register in my mind. All I knew was that his skin was warm and so comforting, and that it was so much different from Demyx's hold. Demyx always held me like I could handle the world, strong and tough, and, actually, I was always the one holding him, his anchor. In Axel's grasp… I felt protected. Safe. Cherished, like I was delicate and he was afraid of me breaking. I wasn't certain whether I liked or disliked the feeling.

Finally, my eyes stopped watering, but I didn't move from my position against his chest. I rationalized it by thinking about how my breath was still irregular, and that I didn't want it to get worse. Besides, something about leaning up against him felt so _right._

Eventually, though, I had to say something. Maybe something about how I was sorry I cried on him, or thank him for being so nice. One of those things, that were so appropriate for that one moment that would let me show how gratified I was towards him.

"You're naked."

That worked too.

I could practically feel that eyebrow of his rise up in amusement before he pulled back, that cat's smirk still on his face.

"Yeah, I'm dripping wet too."

And cue awkward moment.

Let's ignore the fact that I'm practically sitting on his lap and had been crying into his clavicle for the past ten minutes. Let's ignore the fact that he's a complete stranger that has only known my name for about half an hour. Let's ignore the fact that the only reason I was here was because my boyfriend was found in my house having sex with someone that he'd been having an affair with for more than two weeks. The simple fact that he was on the bed naked and dripping wet was awkward enough for me.

I started laughing at that thought, and slowly Axel joined in, amused by the whole situation. Frankly, I was too, although it would have been a lot more funny had it been happening to someone else, and not me.

"So, Lilac, you okay now? Think you'll actually be able to sleep?" Axel asked me, standing up. I nodded, not hesitating at all. Sleeping was all I felt like doing now.

"Who knew that crying was so exhausting?" I murmured. Chuckling, Axel stretched out his back, something that I assumed was not meant to draw my eyes, but it did anyways. I kind of already had an idea that Axel wasn't out of shape, but damn. It was obvious that he wasn't skinny because he was anorexic or had a high metabolism. He wasn't even that skinny; no, he was _muscular_. On a taut stomach was a solid six-pack, a drop of water sliding tantalizingly down the muscle, heading to what was hidden underneath the towel.

"See something you like?" My eyes slid back up to his, taking in the catlike smirk.

I let a simper of my own glide onto my lips. "Oh yes, I do." His eyes widened, and I continued before he could comment, "You see, the towel is just to die for. I mean, I have such a deep admiration for men who prance around clad in only a The Little Mermaid towel." Blinking, he laughed, going over to one of his drawers and opening it.

"I bet you'll love my boxers too, then. I'll pick out my favorites, just for you." I furrowed my eyebrows in bemusement, about to ask what he meant…

Then, the towel dropped.

There was silence for a few seconds, save for Axel rustling around in his drawer as I stared dumbly at the place where the towel used to be. If there was a scale on how awkward things were, me crying on Axel's chest was only a six. This… This was most likely an eight.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I sputtered, grabbing a pillow and covering my eyes. On a second thought, I threw the pillow at Axel's back, already seeing his smirk. "Have you no dignity?!"

"No, but I do have a sense of humor." He grinned, turning his head so that I could see. Sadly, I was unable to see his face as another pillow throttled towards him, hitting the mark directly. Finally, he chuckled, straightening up and pulling on a pair of boxers in the same smooth motion. "Okay, okay, I get it, you're prude. Fine, I see how it is."

There was another pause. "Piglet boxers? Really?"

God, it should be illegal for a laugh to have that effect on you. "But of course! Piglet is the best after all!" I opened my mouth to argue. "No arguing." I closed it. "Good. I'm going to bed. Goodnight Lilac!" With that, he turned off the light, and I heard some shuffling before the room went silent.

Tucking myself into bed, this time I found it easy to fall asleep. The last thing I remembered was a snicker after I mumbled softly. "… Eeyore was way better…"

* * *

The following morning was horrible to wake up to, or, dare I say it, nightmarish.

Waking up was nice. It was warm in the bed, which I had failed to mention was incredibly soft and plushy, exactly the way I like it. My mind fuzzy from being in between sleep and consciousness, I groaned, trying to feel around for Demyx in the bed, like I did every morning. Finally feeling an arm close to me, I snuggled up against it, a subconscious thing that I hated doing, but always did anyways. Then I realized that the arm was much thinner than Demyx's, and didn't feel right. Normally I wouldn't have cared, but it felt kind of awkward, so I opened my eyes.

Bright green ones stared back at me, not moving from my face at all.

I gasped and shot backwards, so far that I tumbled off the bed, landing on the floor with a solid 'thunk'. Groaning in pain, I glared fiercely as flame-red hair hovered over the edge of the bed before a face followed it, the eyebrows creased in confusion and his eyes cloudy.

"Wazhappnin…?" He mumbled, seeming more tired than curious to what disturbed him and completely incoherent. Suddenly, I remembered that I had stayed the night at his house, because of Demyx-

I winced. I wasn't ready to remember that. Then, I thought of it. I had just practically _groped _Axel's arm.

"You use the shower first, okay?" I blinked at Axel, who was actually talking in a lucid manner. "I promise not to come in. There's even a lock if you don't trust me." Slowly I nodded, getting up and making sure

Slowly I nodded, getting up and making sure that I still had my clothes on. Luckily, I did, and walked out the door, biting my lip before noticing a bathroom directly down the hallway. Steeling myself, I walked into the room, taking in the tidiness of it, along with the mysterious lack of hair gel. Nothing against the man, but it was impossible to have hair like that without using hair gel. Really.

Turning on the shower, I undressed quickly and stepped in, still feeling warm from being in bed and almost regretting getting up into the cold air. Hissing in pain as the water burnt me, I turned the heat down to a more bearable temperature as I relaxed for the first time since yesterday, just soaking in the warm water. Finally, I grabbed Axel's shampoo, which was luckily just Pantene to his credit, but it was for 'softer, silkier hair'.

Whatever.

I lathered in the shampoo, taking my time. It wasn't like I had anything to do today. It was a Wednesday, after all. I didn't have to go to work until one o' clock today, which suited me just fine, considering-

I stopped. What time was it?

I nearly ran out of the bathroom when I noticed the clock set above the mirror. Surprisingly, it was only nine o'clock, which was way earlier than I had expected. Normally, whenever I had a day off, or even was able to sleep in, Demyx and I would stay in bed until at least eleven, if not sleeping then just staying with the other, keeping them company so that they wouldn't wake up alone, or if one of us did, the other would have breakfast ready.

I held in a dry laugh. That wouldn't be happening any time soon…

Rinsing out the shampoo, I finally deemed myself clean and turned off the water, finding a towel quickly and rubbing it over my head. I was okay with water most of the time, but I hated my hair being wet. Call it girly or whatever, I don't care. I just hate having the water dripping down my back and soaking my clothes. Not unreasonable, is it?

Finding my discarded clothes I bit my lip, then put them back on, figuring that they were clean enough. Besides, I wasn't about to walk out naked. Axel was nice enough, but…

God, why was he in the bed with me?

I opened the bathroom door after I gave myself a once-over in the mirror, making sure that I didn't look too horrendous before walking down the hallway. I glanced into Axel's room, but he was gone, presumably downstairs, because I didn't see him in any of the other rooms. Slowly, I made my way down, realizing that I didn't see any of the lower floor, even though that was the way I made it in, and I wanted to actually be able to recognize what everything was.

Eventually I made it into the last room, where I saw Axel at the stove and the scent of breakfast things hit my nose. Axel noticed me and waved, the other hand using the spatula to flip another egg. "Morning Lilac. Hope you like eggs and toast."

"And whatever ever else you're cooking," I commented, amused. Sitting down at the table next to the kitchen, I laced my fingers together, placing my chin on top of it right before Axel slid a plate ladled with food in front of me. There was a lot more than what he said, like I suspected; along with eggs and toast, there was sausages, bacon, and pancakes, all placed nice and pretty, like art.

"Eat up," He instructed, taking a chair next to me and sitting down with his own food. "You're almost as skinny as I am. Looks like you need the food." I scoffed at the insinuation but picked up the fork on the plate and started eating anyways, only fully digging in as Axel began eating too. The food, surprisingly, was delicious, and I actually ended up eating half of what was on my plate, a big feat for someone like me.

"Thanks," I murmured, setting down the fork. Axel nodded, picking up the dishes and carrying them over to the sink.

"No problem. I always enjoy cooking for whoever ends up in my house." At the half-indignant glare I leveled at him he laughed, putting the pans he used into the sink as well. "I didn't mean it like that. The only reason I cook this well is because my counselor made me learn how to cook to control my pyromania." I raised my eyebrow and he shrugged. "Been years now, don't worry. I'm not a juvenile delinquent any more. You don't have to worry about your safety."

I scoffed. "Then why were you in the bed this morning when you told me that there would be no funny business?"

He shrugged again, although this time it seemed a bit more sheepish. "I'm sorry, I forgot that I sleepwalk. I thought I got over it, but I guess I didn't. My bad." I mulled over the explanation, sadly finding it easy to believe. Why not, after all? He was already strange, this just fit his character perfectly, from how I knew him. "It wasn't my fault that you decided to grope me randomly- not that I minded." I rolled my eyes, my face tinging red as he waggled his eyebrows at me, something I thought people only did in movies.

"By the way, if you want to, you can stay here for a while." I blinked, surprised by the sudden change of topic.

"What are you talking-"

"I mean that while you and Demyx are fighting, he's in your house, right? If you don't want to talk to him, then it's fine if you would rather stay here instead of confronting him already. I know I wouldn't be able to." Nodding steadily, I considered his offer, trying to weigh the pros and cons. I didn't know who he was, his house wasn't a place I knew, and he seemed kind of weird, but the other side of the coin involves Demyx…

"I could just go to a hotel," I mentioned, standing up. I wasn't exactly going to help him with the dishes, as I was more likely to mess his order up, but I didn't want to just sit at the table. It felt too weird while Axel was standing and doing things. "If you don't want me here-"

"It's fine, you're no trouble by staying. You shouldn't be put out of more money just because your boyfriend was being… well, you shouldn't have to. Unless you have another friend that you would rather stay with."

I shook my head slowly, not even having to think that one through. "No, no friends." I think Axel noticed something different in my tone, as he looked over at me in sudden sympathy. "Thanks. If it's really no trouble, then I would like to stay." He nodded, a smile slipping onto his face.

"No problem." Then he grimaced, as if remembering something. "Hey, do you want to come with me today and meet Roxas? He won't exactly be able to talk back, but I'd like to introduce you to him." My eyebrows furrowed at the personal request. As if we were close friends or something.

Then I relented. I was living with him. It was okay to know who he hung out with, and I kind of wanted to see this Roxas. Even though I had heard virtually nothing about him, he intrigued me.

Then a single thought came to my mind. "How did you know Demyx's name? I never told you it," I asked-slash accused Axel, causing him to laugh.

"Well," He drawled, sending me a wink. "I'm not the only one with embarrassing sleeping habits, mister I-talk-in-my-sleep-real-loudly."

I blushed lightly, and the only thing I could tell him was that 'real loudly' was incorrect grammar.

* * *

"Well, here we are." Axel drew me to a stop in front of a door, room number 386. The door was open, but no one was inside except for the person in the bed, who I presumed to be Roxas. Axel ushered me in as I took a closer look at the bed, and I had to stop myself from visibly wincing. The boy was gorgeous, with a cherubic face and golden blonde hair. I could only imagine the blue eyes that matched it, that had to be there. The only thing marring his beauty was the bandage covering half his face, on his right cheek. Whatever it was must have barely missed his eye, as it wasn't covered by cloth at all. He was hooked up to several machines, showing the severity of the accident.

"Roxas…" Axel sat down in one of the chairs and took his hand, rubbing the bandages covering it, like he wanted to actually feel _Roxas, _have it be _Roxas' _skin under his fingers, and despite myself I felt a huge pang of sadness as I stared down at the scene.

"Roxas, I want you to meet Zexion. I know you can't tell, but he's right in front of you, well, not right in front, but still there. He's about as short as you are, so maybe when you wake up you two can start that Short Club you were always joking about. You know?" I couldn't bring myself to be mad at him for the short comment as he continued on talking. "He's staying with me for a while because he walked in on his boyfriend cheating on him in his own apartment, so I offered him a place to stay. He didn't have anywhere else to go, so he agreed. I gave him the bed, but like the time you stayed over I kinda sleep-walked and ended up in it as well!" He laughed in an almost sheepish manner, except I could see a hint of pride in it too. "Yeah, he decided to stay after that. I know, I am so totally awesome…"

He talked on for a full hour, his gaze never once leaving Roxas' as he explained everything that happened to him in the past two days in complete detail, then going on to completely random things, like their memories of things they did together. Once he got to that, I left on the pretense of getting us both a snack, not wanting to invade on his- their privacy.

I ended up wandering around for a full ten minutes, not exactly knowing where to go for a vending machine, but I finally found one down the hall, filled with treats and snacks. Axel had easily listed off what he wanted and gave me three dollars for it, while I used my own money to get a granola bar, not wanting anything too sugary.

"Excuse me, sir?" I turned around, facing a nurse who was talking to me. She was pretty, with sweet blue eyes and long brown hair in a twist down her back and held up in a pony tail by a pink bow. Her outfit was pink too, but not that scary bubblegum pink that burned into your eyes. It was more of a softer pink that almost had a calming feel to it. "You're friends with the man who is always visiting Roxas, right?" I nodded, almost stopping as I registered that I didn't even think about the question before giving a yes. I guess that we were friends. In a strange way, he was the only person other than Demyx who I could really consider that.

"Yes. Axel, right?" She nodded, his cheery face dropping slightly.

"I feel bad for how the bomb was dropped on them, that Roxas might never wake up… His brother cried, along with most of the others. The only ones who didn't was the silver-haired one who was always with Sora, and Axel." I furrowed my eyebrows at that.

"Axel seemed like he would have been the most hurt by such a sudden diagnosis on his best friend," I commented, trying my best to keep my voice steady. She bit her lip, shaking her head slowly.

"He was. The only reason he wasn't crying was because he ran out of the room, nearly strangling the doctor and yelling at him for not doing a better job." She laughed slightly, amused. "Luckily the doctor understood what was going on, and didn't get Axel arrested for assault. Afterwards, Axel was quiet and meek, the first one to leave." She shook her head again, all signs of mirth gone. "He was the most effected of them all, for sure, even though he was too strong to cry."

I felt my own eyes stinging, and my gaze dropped to the floor. "I… I had no clue…" I murmured, glancing back up. She smiled, even though this time I could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes as well.

"I know. I wasn't saying that to make you feel guilty, I was saying it because I had a request to make." Confused, I tilted my head in bemusement as she continued, "I know that Roxas was important in Axel's life, and maybe even protected him. I don't mean to put too much pressure on you, but Axel's a good person. I don't want him…" She stopped and cleared her throat before carrying on, "He needs someone there for him, now that Roxas can't be. If you could, just… take care of him, would you?" Her eyes glimmered more, the tears threatening to come out. "He deserves to be happy."

"I know," I murmured, the whole idea of it sinking in, "I know."

With that, I didn't give the nurse another glance as I walked back in the room, handing Axel his snacks and standing by him. Slowly, I placed my hand on his shoulder, and when he sent me a grateful smile, I couldn't help but return it, even though my heart was sinking as I realized that I was falling for him.

I wasn't one to ignore my feelings, no matter how stupid or uncalled for they seemed. This was one of those cases, where it should have been impossible. I had only met the man three times, two of which were fleeting, brief. There was no way that it could have been true, and yet, I knew that he meant more to me than Demyx had.

As we were walking out, I was torn apart by emotions. It seemed cruel to say it right after he saw his friend who might never wake up, but I didn't want to deceive him while I was living at his house. Then again, if he knew, he might not even let me stay, and the prospect of that… Well, I couldn't say I liked it. No, I most definitely hated that thought.

"Hey, Axel…" I began slowly. Axel turned towards me, his normally glowing eyes dimmer, but curious. "Would it be wrong, or make you a whore if you fell in love with a person only a day after knowing them?" Axel's eyes widened and he shook his head, chuckling slightly and sending me a burning look.

"I would think not, but if I have to be a whore for that, then so be it." I blinked in shock as I realized what he meant, and couldn't help smiling right before his lips met mine.

* * *

"Come on Zexion, I have to do this, I have to do this…" I muttered to myself, drawing several looks from people walking down the street. I didn't care though. All I cared about was the fact that I couldn't bring myself to dial the number on my phone, no matter how much I prepared myself.

It had been about six days since I had last talked to Demyx, and as it was, the time for me to talk to him was long overdue. As far as I knew, he was still living in my house, which, while I was content to live in Axel's house, I needed to get him out. No, I needed _closure_.

Finally, I sighed and pressed the dial button, holding the phone up to my ear. With each ring, I was finding my heart beating faster and faster, and I found myself wishing that he had lost his phone, dropped it, it was out of battery, _whatever_, just don't let him pick up.

_Click. _"Demyx here." I paused, all thought process out the door. Demyx, to be blunt, sounded horrible, like he hadn't gotten sleep in months. I almost wanted to ask him about it, but stopped as I remembered my real reason for calling.

"Demyx?" I spoke softly, trying not to let my hurt into the conversation. I heard a barely audible gasp on the other line but continued, knowing that if I stopped now I wouldn't be able to continue. "Can you meet me at the Plaza, in front of the fountain at noon? We need to talk."

Hesitation. "Of course, Zex. Anything for you." With that, the line went dead.

Snapping my phone shut, I took a quick glance at the time. 11:30. Meaning I had a whole thirty minutes before I had to go. Which meant that there was too much time for me to back out.

Almost unconsciously my hand flipped open the phone again and I was sifting through all the contacts, holding my breath until I found the right one and pressed the call button, for the first time thanking whatever higher being there was for him being so nosy.

It only rang once before he picked up. "Zexion? Is everything okay?" I swallowed, unable to think properly.

"Axel? Can you help me? I can't back out of this… I promised Demyx I would talk to him today, and I'm so close to backing out right now. Could… could you come with me? Please?"

"Yeah, definitely. Just give me a second, okay?" I think he tried to cover the phone, but it didn't work that well as I heard him call out, _"Marluxia! Can you take over for me? My boyfriend's having a crisis." _On the outside I rolled my eyes, having finally calmed down a bit, but inside I was glowing at the fact that he referred to me as his boyfriend. "Okay Zex, I'm on my way. Where're you at?"

"I'm right outside my work," I answered promptly, and I could practically hear him nod.

"Okay, I'm on my way right now. Don't move an inch. I mean it, or else someone's gonna be in trouble tonight!" I could hear the playful taunting tone and laughed, the tense situation diffused.

"Oh, just because you want me in trouble-" He laughed and hung up, meaning that he was on his way for sure. For the ten minutes it took him to get there, I just concentrated on not thinking at all. I was afraid that if I started thinking, then I would realize how freaky this all was, turn tail and run. It certainly sounded like a good idea, no matter the consequences at this time.

"Zex!" I turned, relaxing in relief as I saw the redhead walking towards me. His expression, as always, was loose, with that playful smirk on his face as he kissed me on the lips softly, his favorite greeting. Withdrawing, the smirk grew bigger as he took in my face, which was probably slightly flushed, but he chose not to comment on it, instead simply saying, "Ready to go?" I nodded, and both of us walked to the plaza silently, not having any sort of contact but still feeling the other's presence. It wasn't the same, but it still comforted me and stopped me from retreating and calling it off for another day.

Finally, much too early, the fountain came into sight, two people standing in front of it. The first I knew to be Demyx, dancing around nervously as he frowned, obviously discontent. The other I recognized from that night at the house, when I walked in on the two. Xigbar. It was impossible to mistake him, considering that I didn't think any one else had black hair with white streaks like he did.

It was only a matter of time before they saw us, and even less time before we were standing in front of each other, not talking at all. Opening my mouth, then closing it, my mind raced though all the things I needed to say. Axel squeezed my shoulder comfortingly, and I took a deep breath, trying to figure out the best way to start. Especially since Demyx was looking at me as if I had just told him that I hated him, even though I haven't even said anything yet, and Xigbar was… well, looking murderous. "I don't hate you," I blurted out finally, unable to think of anything else. Demyx blinked.

"You… don't?" He asked, confused. I shook my head.

"No, Demyx. I wasn't the right one for you. Just like you weren't the right one for me. I understand that." Demyx nodded slowly, biting his lip.

"I didn't want you to find out like that. I was going to tell you-"

"It's okay, Demyx. I knew for a month before I found out. I just want you to be happy, okay? You don't need to feel guilty because of this," I said softly. I could feel my eyes starting to water, but so were Demyx's, so I didn't feel too bad about it.

"Zexion…" Demyx whispered, a tear sliding out before he threw himself at me, enveloping me in a tight hug. I returned the action a little less enthusiastically, missing the heat of Axel's hand immediately after he slid it off my shoulder. "I'm sorry… I really do love you, you know that?" I smiled sadly and withdrew, holding Demyx's hand one last time as I backed up, dropping it after a second.

"I know. I'll miss you. You have another place to stay, right?" His face fell slightly, and he nodded.

"Hey Zex? Do you think that after this… we could be friends?" He gave me a pleading look, those crystal blue eyes so hopeful. I bit my lip and glanced away, then looked back.

"Yeah. I think we could. Goodbye Demyx." With that, I turned and left, feeling for the first time that everything would be okay. My hand intertwined with Axel's, the heat from his hand fading into mine, a feeling I had come to love. He looked down at me anxiously and I gave him a small grin, pushing him with my shoulder lightly. Smirking playfully, he bumped me back, careful not to do it too hard, but enough for me to feel it. At my mock-glare he laughed and brushed my bangs to the side, kissing me softly on the forehead. Backing up, he grinned, and I couldn't help but return it as he squeezed my hand again, his eyes saying everything.

"Come on Zex. Let's go home."

* * *

If enough people are curious, I'll do a sequel on what happens to Roxas, and how their relationship goes. If it seems too outlandish to be dating after a day, you gotta remember this; both lost someone who they relied heavily on, and the loss made it so that they had a lot in common and could sympathize.

Hope you liked it!


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